Wake Forest Baptist Health — Lexington Medical Center continues to invest in enhancing medical technology with the recent installation of a house wide cardiac telemetry monitoring system. Prior to installing the new system, all telemetry patients were assigned to the Critical Care Unit as it was the only area within the hospital with telemetry capabilities. With the new system, a patient's cardiac rhythms are monitored 24 hours a day regardless of their location within the hospital by trained telemetry technicians. This makes it possible to house less acute telemetry patients on the medical-surgical nursing unit, freeing up CCU beds for those patients requiring the highest level of nursing care. It also allows noncritical patients who require cardiac monitoring to rest in a more peaceful, less restrictive environment. Telemetry patients are those with chest pain, arrhythmia, heart failure or risk for arrhythmia based on illness or electrolyte abnormalities. Dr. Katie Twomley, cardiologist, explains that patients with arrhythmias often have heart rate changes with activity."Our goal of therapy is to keep this under control," she said. "With the new system, patients are no longer confined to a small area within the hospital and can walk and be active while being closely monitored for heart rate elevation or recurrent arrhythmia.""The increased freedom and mobility of noncritical telemetry patients also decreases their risk of developing pneumonia or blood clots — a common concern for those who are confined to bed. These patients can participate in physical and occupational therapy or visit ancillary areas within the hospital while being constantly monitored," said Clyde Bristow, director of acute care services. "It makes for a seamless monitoring process, which helps to create a more positive patient experience."Equally important is that the transition of less acute telemetry patients to another unit enables the CCU to devote all of its beds and resources to the critically ill, increasing the unit's overall patient capacity.The new monitoring system provides the latest telemetry technology and represents a $140,000 investment. "It is another example of our commitment to bring the latest technologies and services to Davidson County," said Steve Snelgrove, president of LMC.